Tokyo Women's Medical University

School of Medicine

Upper Gastrointestinal (GI) Surgery

Overview

The Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery Department of Tokyo Women’s Medical University traces its roots to the Surgical Department at the Center for Gastroenterology , established by Dr. Komei Nakayama in 1965. The department works closely with gastroenterology, gastrointestinal endoscopy, and chemotherapy departments and three other departments in gastroenterological surgery (Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic (HBP) Surgery, Colorectal Surgery, Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Surgery). We perform extremely precise minimally invasive surgeries for gastrointestinal tumors such as stomach and esophageal cancers and benign diseases such as gastroesophageal reflux disease and morbid obesity. Furthermore, we aim to enhance the treatment outcomes by introducing new medical technologies and using artificial intelligence (AI). We train skilled surgeons through the practice of patient-centered, comprehensive, and cutting-edge medical care, as well as medical research based on clinical practice.

Education Details

We have operated a medical trainee system as postgraduate training with the aim to cultivating skilled clinicians, based on the philosophy of Dr. Komei Nakayama, founder of the Center for Gastroenterology. We are currently conducting postgraduate clinical training in accordance with the new medical specialist system, using this system as the framework. Our central philosophy is “patient-centered medical care,” and our goal is to train skilled and warm-hearted surgeons. During the first two years, students will rotate through the upper gastrointestinal surgery, colorectal surgery, and hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery departments to provide comprehensive training from diagnosis to treatment. From the third year onward, students will spend two years at a specialized training facility, where they will apply their newly acquired skills while also learning surgical techniques. During this time, the students will also collect cases for the surgery specialist examination and attempt the written exam. In the final year, students will return to the university to fix their upper gastrointestinal surgery skills as a subspecialty, conduct training with a higher level of expertise, and work on writing a thesis for their doctoral degree. After completing training, students have several opportunities, including continuing their education at a university hospital, pursuing clinical practice at a hospital that is a training partner, and enrolling in courses at other institutions in Japan or abroad.

Research Details

Research on robotic surgery in upper gastrointestinal surgery
Exploratory research on the usefulness of ICG navigation in esophageal and gastric cancer surgery
Research on navigation surgery using AI
Research on bariatric and metabolic surgery for morbid obesity
Development of preoperative chemotherapy for resectable advanced gastric cancer
Research on surgical methods for esophagogastric junction cancer

Faculty

Kei Hosoda
Kosuke Narumiya
Kenji Kudo

Graduate School

The graduate course allows students to advance to graduate school during the last part of training. In this course, surgeons can conduct research without using a scalpel while undergoing clinical training and obtaining a second-class degree.

Related links

Research Achievements Database

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